FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

Food expo brings flavor to Got to Be NC Festival

RALEIGH — About 80 North Carolina food companies and wineries will showcase their products during the 2009 Got to Be NC Festival Friday through Sunday, May 29-31, at the State Fairgrounds.

The Got to Be NC Food Expo will take place in the Exposition Building from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

Dozens of N.C. products will be represented at the expo, including peanuts, pork, candies, sauces, seasonings, hot dogs and wines. There will be free samples, and vendors will be selling many of their products so that festival visitors can take home their favorites. All companies represented at the expo are members of the Goodness Grows in North Carolina program, the official marketing program of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“With so much attention being placed on buying local, the food expo will be a great way for consumers to see and taste many of the wonderful products made here in our state,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “At the same time, it’s also a wonderful opportunity for North Carolina food companies and wineries to gain much needed exposure to the public.”

In addition to the food companies, the expo also will have a demonstration stage featuring many chefs and restaurants competing in this year’s Best Dish in North Carolina competition. Edible Piedmont magazine also will give a cooking demonstration, and Triangle Gardener magazine will give a gardening demonstration. Demonstrations will take place hourly each day, beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, and noon on Saturday and Sunday.

The Got to Be NC festival, presented by the NCDA&CS and Kerr Drugs, will feature 1,000 pieces of antique farm equipment, a carnival, live music and children’s activities each day, plus a draft horse pull and classic car show on Friday; a tractor pull, Harley-Davidson motorcycle show and barbecue cook-off on Saturday; and lawnmower races on Sunday.

Festival hours are 9 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking for the festival are free. There is a fee for grandstand events. For more information, go online to www.ncagfest.com.

Other events at the fairgrounds that weekend will be the Clear Channel Health and Wellness Expo, the Choplin Boat Show and the State Fairgrounds flea market. Admission to all three is free.

-wca-2